An exciting Davis Cup weekend saw three ties go the distance as nations booked their spots in the World Group quarterfinals for 2017. Here is your recap of all of the happenings at venues across the world.

A rowdy Buenos Aires crowd went home on Monday disappointed, in a tie that went an extra day after rainstorms prevented it from finishing on Sunday. The Italians strong 2-0 start put defending champions Argentina into a hole that they couldn’t recover from by the end of the tie. Paolo Lorenzi defeated Guido Pella to open the tie, and Andreas Seppi needed four sets to put away Carlos Berlocq. Argentina staved off defeat by winning the doubles, as Berlocq and Leonardo Mayer combined to defeat Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in five sets. Berlocq then defeated Lorenzi to force a decisive fifth rubber that was played on Monday.

From two sets to love down, Fabio Fognini upset Pella in five sets. The Italian started in pedestrian form, sleepwalking through two sets, but Pella ran out of steam, and was unable to finish the match out, Pella went down a break against Fognini in the fifth, and despite having chances, he was unable to get it back.

Belgium d. Germany 4-1

Steve Darcis played nine sets of tennis in this tie, winning six of those sets, as the serve and volleying veteran led Belgium to an upset of neighboring Germany in Frankfurt. Darcis defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber in five sets on Friday, clinching the tie with an upset of Alexander Zverev in four sets on Sunday. Darcis pivotal leadership also helped Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore defeat the Zverev brothers in the doubles rubber. The only German victory came for Alexander Zverev on Friday over Arthur De Greef. Bemelmans beat Mischa Zverev in a dead rubber. Presuming David Goffin returns to play for Belgium, the recent DC finalists have the makings of a great team that can make a deep run.

Australia d. Czech Republic 4-1

Australia showed off a talented and deep squad, dominating the Czech Republic 3-0 in live rubbers as Jordan Thompson, Nick Kyrgios, Sam Groth/John Peers all won their matches without dropping so much of a set. Jiri Vesely lost to Thompson, Jan Satral lost to Kyrgios, and Satral and Vesely together dropped the decisive doubles point against Groth/Peers. Vesely beat Groth in a dead rubber, while Thompson eased past Satral in two sets to conclude the tie.

USA d. Switzerland 5-0

The lone round 1 whitewash came in Birmingham for team USA, as a weak Swiss team was no match for the USA’s best. Jack Sock beat Marco Chiudinelli in straights on Friday, while John Isner needed four sets and one tiebreak against Henri Laaksonen. Sock and Steve Johnson clinched the tie with a routine win over Laaksonen and Adrien Bossel, then Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson were called upon on Sunday to delight home fans with routine victories over Adrien Bossel and Antoine Bellier. Along with having five ATP caliber players, team USA showed off a lot of great team chemistry over the weekend.

France d. Japan 4-1

France swept Japan in live rubbers, as the experience of their squad shone through in two days of competitive action. Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon eased past Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka on Friday, setting up Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert to pair up and defeat Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yuichi Sugita to clinch the tie. Mahut and Herbert played dead rubbers against Nishioka and Uchiyama, splitting results.

Great Britain d. Canada 3-2

A horrible mistake by teenager Denis Shapovalov doomed Team Canada, as Great Britain had to scratch and claw to survive a tie that was more challenging than expected for the Brits. Dan Evans got the tie started off great for Team GB, easing past Shapovalov in straight sets. Vasek Pospisil had an impressive tie though, as he defeated Kyle Edmund in straights on Friday, and despite dropping the doubles rubber alongside Daniel Nestor to Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray, Pospisil came back to defeat Evans in a close four setter to setup Shapovalov with a chance to clinch the tie at home at a young age.

Down two sets against Edmund, a frustrated Shapovalov launched a ball off his racquet towards the stands that nailed the chair umpire in the eye, sending the umpire to the hospital, and resulting in a mandatory default that handed team GB the tie. It was the talk of the weekend in the tennis world, but GB was likely to win the fifth rubber anyway, and Shapovalov clearly didn’t intend to inflict injury on anyone with his careless actions.

Serbia d. Russia 4-1

The combined strength of Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki was too much for a young Russian squad, as the Serbians won 3-0 on live rubbers. Troicki defeated Karen Khachanov in four sets, while Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in four on Friday. Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic wasted no time putting away Konstantin Kravchuk and Andrey Kuznetsov in the doubles rubber.

Nearly embarrassed, a higher ranked Spanish team staved off an upset at the hands of Croatia, thanks to Pablo Carreno Busta and Roberto Bautista Agut winning both Sunday rubbers. RBA was perfect in the tie, posting wins over Ante Pavic and Franko Skugor, dropping just a set against Skugor. Croatia was up 2-1 after Saturday play, as Marin Draganja and Nikola Mektic beat the Lopez brothers in doubles, while Skugor had previously stunned Carreno Busta on Friday. PCB recovered to ease past Mektic in the decisive fifth rubber.

Results outside of the World Group

Americas Group 1 final round ties were set, as Ecuador and Chile won their ties 5-0 to setup matches against Brazil and Chile respectively. India and Uzbekistan advanced to the final round in Asia’s Group 1, as South Korea was upset by Uzbekistan.

The Davis Cup kicks off for 2017 this weekend, in matches that feature Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, John Isner, Richard Gasquet, Alexander Zverev, and Dan Evans among others. Here is your preview and predictions for the matchups, with a look at who might shine in the national colors this weekend.

The only world group tie taking place on clay this weekend pits defending champions Argentina against fellow clay loving nation Italy in Buenos Aires. Three top 100 Argentines, Diego Schwartzman, Carlos Berlocq, and Guido Pella are on the home squad, with veteran Leonardo Mayer as the fourth player. Veteran Paolo Lorenzi is Italy’s top ranked player, with Fabio Fognini, an in-form Andreas Seppi, and comeback kid Simone Bolelli completing their team. Bolelli hasn’t played a pro match since the middle of 2016, so it’s uncertain what part he’ll play in the tie. Home soil should inspire Argentina, a nation that fights hard in this team events, but with Lorenzi and Seppi as the top 2 players in this tie overall, I give Italy a slight edge to advance.

The Zverev brothers recent success in Melbourne could continue on indoor hard courts in Frankfurt against Belgium. Along with Alexander and Mischa, Germany has veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber, and top 60 ATP level player J.L. Struff to round out their squad. Belgium has veteran Steve Darcis leading the way, he’ll be playing alongside Ruben Bemelmans, Arthur De Greef, and Joris De Loore. The Belgians have just one top 60 player, while Germany has four. Regardless of how each team captain decides their rubber nominations, presuming team Germany is fit, they should win.

After the Australian Open, the green and gold squad of Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth, and AO doubles champion John Peers got to stay in Melbourne to face off with the Czech Republic on outdoor hard courts. Veteran Radek Stepanek leads them, as Jiri Vesely, Jan Satral, and young gun Zdenek Kolar complete their squad. Stepanek is solid for the doubles, and Vesely will put up a fight, but presuming Kyrgios is healthy, he should win his matches. Given the Aussie edge in doubles, and the fact Thompson is an improving player, team Australia should prevail.

Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka didn’t travel down south to Birmingham, Alabama for an indoor hard court contest against team USA. Without having much depth beyond their top two players, the Swiss are at a huge disadvantage against the Yanks. Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson are all solid ATP players, while Henri Laaksonen, Marco Chiudinelli, Adrien Bossel, and Antoine Bellier are lacking in tour level accomplishments. Team United States should win with ease.

France hasn’t won the Davis Cup since 2001, but they once again bring one of the strongest and most well balanced team to the tournament. Veterans Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, and Nicolas Mahut lead team France. Pierre-Hugues Herbert is also on hand to pair with Mahut in the doubles tie. Japan is missing Kei Nishikori, which means Taro Daniel and Yoshihito Nishioka will be playing lead roles. Yasutaka Uchiyama and Yuichi Sugita are also on hand at home on indoor hard courts. Given the ATP level accomplishments of Gasquet and Simon, team France are heavy favorites against an inexperienced Japanese team. Mahut and Herbert should take the doubles and clinch the tie.

Despite the absence of ATP giants Andy Murray and Milos Raonic in Ottawa, this indoor hard court matchup between two commonwealth nations should be competitive, and entertaining. Teenager Denis Shapovalov and 44 year old Daniel Nestor are on the opposite ends of the career spectrum, but will play integral roles for team Canada in this tie. Vasek Pospisil and Peter Polansky round out the home squad. Team GB has the rising Dan Evans leading the way, with Kyle Edmund as #2 singles, and Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot for doubles.

Evans should have an edge in both singles matches, given his 7-2 start to the season, and the British doubles pairing is strong, despite Nestor and Pospisil’s doubles success. Given their edge in at least three of the five possible matches, team GB are my pick. Great Britain‘s Edmund is also in better form than the struggling Pospisil, Shapovalov, and Polansky.

Novak Djokovic and Viktor Troicki will lead the way at home on indoor hard courts against Russia. Serbia brings Nenad Zimonjic for doubles, and Dusan Lajovic serves as their backup single player. Russia counters with two young guns, Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov. Andrey Kuznetsov, an ATP level player, is also on their team, with Konstantin Kravchuk as their fourth player. Presuming Djokovic plays for Serbia throughout the competition, paired alongside Troicki, this Serbian team are favorites to take home the title at years end, and Serbia should routine Russia in this one, barring once in a lifetime performances from Russia in singles.

Spain brings three top 40 singles players to do battle on indoor hard courts in Croatia. The defending DC finalist Croats are lacking all of their nation’s top men’s tennis talents. A team of Franko Skugor, Nikola Mektic, Ante Pavic, and Marin Draganja, all relative journeymen, is unlikely to stand up well against Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, and the Lopez brothers, Feliciano and Marc. Spain should sweep, with the Lopez brothers clinching the doubles rubber.

Notable Action Outside of the World Group

Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri leads the way against Sweden, while Casper Ruud leads a young Norwegian team against Latvia in the only notable ties in Group 2 level play. Taiwan and China face off in an Asia Group 1 tie that should roil political tensions. Denis Istomin, fresh off his victory against Novak Djokovic in Melbourne leads Uzbekistan against a young South Korean team that should feature recent Challenger champion Hyeon Chung, and the deaf Duckhee Lee.

In Europe/Africa Group 1, Lukas Lacko and Martin Klizan’s Slovakia will will be favorites against Hungary. 39 year old Max Mirnyi should play for Belarus against Romania, and Joao Sousa’s Portugal are home favorites against Dudi Sela and Israel.